The field of the invention generally relates to ice dispensers, and more particularly relates to ice dispensers that can selectively dispense either whole ice pieces or crushed ice.
Through-the-door ice dispensers have been used in conventional household refrigerators for many years, and typically are located in the freezer section of a side-by-side refrigerator. Such dispensers make it very convenient for the user to fill a glass with ice, and also eliminate the need to open the freezer door and let ambient air into the freezer section. Early ice dispensers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,994 issued Jan. 21, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,244 issued Apr. 8, 1969, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,441 issued Aug. 31, 1971. Briefly described, such dispensers include a receptacle or bucket that receives and stores ice pieces or cubes from an automatic ice maker. A feed section or lift wheel at the front of the ice bucket includes a horizontal cylindrical collar that contains a metering helix such as a spiraled vane or a double bladed screw auger. When the lift wheel is rotated in response to depressing an actuater on the outside of the freezer door, the metering helix lifts ice pieces up and through a discharge opening in the front end of the receptacle from where they fall down a chute into the user's glass. The lift wheel maintains the delivery rate of the ice pieces within prescribed limits for user convenience, and also provides a moderate flow rate of ice pieces independently of the fill level of ice pieces within the receptacle.
In order to move or convey ice pieces into the lift wheel, a horizontal wire auger having a helically coiled portion is positioned lengthwise in the bucket. The rear end of the wire auger is connected to a driving motor while the front end of the wire auger is connected to the lift wheel so as to provide rotational drive to the lift wheel. When the wire auger is rotated, a transition pool of continuously moving ice pieces is delivered at the wire auger output allowing the ice pieces to fall into the metering helix within the collar of the lift wheel as they randomly present themselves in the proper position and orientation.
The prior art also recognized the desirability of providing crushed ice rather than whole ice pieces. To provide this feature, the ice pieces are typically delivered to an ice crusher section in front of the receptacle that includes a horizontal substantially cylindrical chamber having a set of stationary and a set of axially rotating blades or arms. Generally, the front end of the wire auger extends through the lift wheel into the chamber and the set of axially rotating blades are affixed to the wire thereby providing their rotational drive. The ice is crushed between the respective sets of blades, and falls down a chute into the glass.
It has also been found desirable to provide an ice dispenser wherein a user selection can be made between whole ice pieces and crushed ice. That is, it is desirable that the user has an option to operate the dispenser so that the ice pieces ar delivered whole or as crushed ice. One such selective ice dispenser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,441 issued Aug. 31, 1971. With the apparatus described therein, ice pieces are delivered from the lift wheel or feed section through the discharge opening to a chamber or transfer space having an outlet opening generally below the inlet opening. In one mode of operation, the ice pieces drop unaltered from the inlet to the outlet so as to provide whole ice pieces. In an alternate mode of operation, a deflector or flapper door diverts or guides the ice pieces such that they are caught and crushed between a set of rotating and a set of stationary blades in the conventional ice crushing fashion. In other words, the ice pieces are delivered whole or crushed depending on the positioning of the deflector. With such arrangement, structure including a hinged deflector, a solenoid, and a solenoid operated crank are required. Such additional parts add to the cost and detract from the reliability of the dispenser.
Another selective ice dispenser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,527 issued Dec. 4, 1979. In the apparatus described therein, an ice crusher includes first and second crusher arms mounted to a rotatable shaft. In one mode of operation, a stop is used to prevent rotation of the second crusher arm so that it temporarily becomes stationary while permitting the first crusher arm to continue rotation with the shaft. The relative motion between the crusher arms effects a crushing of the ice pieces so as to permit the ice to be delivered to the user in such form. In an alternate mode of operation, the stop is positioned so as to permit rotation of both the first and second crusher arms with the shaft, and the ice pieces are delivered whole or intact. This apparatus also requires additional parts including a solenoid to activate the stop.